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Here's where Boston's first office-to-apartment conversions are being built
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It's Friday. Overnight, Congress officially passed legislation to strip all federal support for NPR, PBS and their member stations. The revised $9 billion rescission package for public media and foreign aid was passed by the House on a 216-to-213 vote.
You can read more here from NPR's David Folkenflik about how decades of bipartisan support for public media unraveled in the Trump era and how the cuts are expected to ripple through local member stations. (You can also read WBUR CEO Margaret Low's new letter to the community about the cuts and our commitment moving forward.)
Now, we have a lot of other news to cover:
Open concept: The first new apartments to come out of Boston's office-to-residential conversion program are officially under construction — and some are opening to tenants soon. During an event yesterday in Fort Point to celebrate the program and "smash some drywall," Mayor Michelle Wu said more than 140 new housing units are now being built under the city's 2-year-old pilot program to turn under-utilized office space into rental apartments, 26 of which will be income-restricted.
- Where are they? Perhaps most prominently, a red-brick office building on Summer Street overlooking Fort Point Channel will become home to 77 new apartments, while preserving the building's historic Boston Wharf Co. sign. The program is also transforming former office spaces at 129 Portland St. near North Station (25 apartments), 615 Albany St. in the South End (24 apartments) and 281 Franklin St. downtown (15 apartments). According to Wu's office, the Franklin Street building is set to have tenants move in by the end of the summer.
- How it works: Developers who participate in the conversion program get to benefit from a lower residential property tax, plus a 75% tax break over the first 29 years and a fast-tracked permitting process. The only major requirements (in addition to figuring out the tricky logistics) are that at least 17% of units are income-restricted, 3% are preserved for housing voucher holders and that the project preserves ground-floor retail space.
- The big picture: In total, there are currently 780 new apartments across 21 buildings in the office-to-residential program "pipeline," according to Wu's office. Officials estimate the new units — everything from studios to three-bedroom apartments — will create space for more than 1,500 residents. Ultimately, Wu said addressing Greater Boston's housing shortage will require "tens of thousands" of new units. "But every little bit makes a difference," she said.
- In related news: The median price of a single-family home in Greater Boston officially surpassed $1 million last month, according to the local realtors' association. WBUR's Zeninjor Enwemeka has more here on the historic high.
North of Boston: Rep. Seth Moulton has a Democratic primary challenger — who says they were moved to enter the race by the congressman's controversial comments last year about trans women in sports. Bethany Andres-Beck, a 40-year-old trans software engineer from Middleton, announced their campaign against Moulton yesterday. "I think it's deeply alienating to have politicians who want to use you as a prop," Andres-Beck told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. "It says that he is not thinking about any particular person when he is talking that way. It tells me he doesn't have trans friends."
- Andres-Beck also said they think their tech background would be an asset as Congress regulates emerging technologies: "It really bothers me when people in Congress don't seem to understand the basic technologies they're regulating."
- Moulton's response: A spokesperson for the Salem Democrat said he's been busy with legislative work, such as fighting the end of special 988 services for LGBTQ+ youth and crafting a defense spending bill. "What he is not focused on is an election that is more than a year away," the spokesperson said.
Fall River fallout: The Bristol County District Attorney's office says it erroneously reported the death of 66-year-old Brenda Cropper from injuries sustained from the Gabriel House fire on Sunday night. After announcing Thursday that Cropper was the 10th person to die from the fire, officials said Friday that she is in fact still alive and in critical condition at a local hospital. They blamed the error on a miscommunication with a medical agency. Nine people died from the fire, and six others (including Cropper) remain hospitalized.
- Fall River police released a six-minute clip of body camera footage from the fire response to provide a glimpse of "the challenging and chaotic conditions."
Back to school? In the wake of the Trump administration's sweeping federal layoffs, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government is offering 50 full-ride scholarships to public servants and military veterans for its master’s program next fall. WBUR's Emily Piper-Vallillo reports that it's the Kennedy school's “largest single-year scholarship program,” providing $100,000 to cover tuition, fees and a stipend.
- Who's eligible: Veterans, teachers, government workers, Peace Corps volunteers and others who have served in full-time civil service for at least seven years.
Heads up: Starting tomorrow, Cambridge will close several blocks of Mount Auburn Street — potentially through the end of the year — so that crews can demolish the Riverview condo building. The building evacuated residents last fall due to structural concerns. Click here for the map of the detour route.
- In other Cambridge news: The city's inaugural Porchfest is this weekend.
Reminder: If you're commuting downtown today, shuttles are replacing Red Line service between Kendall/MIT and JFK/UMass now through the end of the weekend.
P.S.— Local leaders are hoping to bring a team from which women's professional sports league to Boston? Take a guess with our weekly Boston News Quiz.
This story has been updated to include the Bristol County District Attorney's office's correction on the condition of Fall River fire victim Brenda Cropper.
